5 Cheap Updates to Revitalize Your Bathroom

Are you tired of the way your bathroom looks? Was it updated back in the 1970s or ’80s? While the average cost of remodeling your bathroom might seem pricey, there are cheaper methods to updating it that will save you time and money you can put towards a more extensive remodel down the road. Ask a bathroom remodeling contractor what upgrades you can make ahead of time or get design ideas for your bathroom’s new look and start with the small changes.

If you want to get started on the remodel today, here are some areas to focus on:

1. Refresh the walls with paint
Adding a new coat of paint to the bathroom walls is probably the most cost effective way to completely change the bathroom’s mood and look without spending a fortune. You have a multitude of colors to choose from, and it complements almost everything else you could install in the bathroom like accessories, cabinetry, shelving, and plumbing fixtures. It’s a chance to create the kind of bathroom you want — whether it’s a sleek modern bathroom decked out in white or a cozy bathroom done out in pastels or earth tones like brown and dark green.

2. Update the accessories
If you’ve been looking at the same toilet cover, shower curtain, window treatments, linens, and so forth, this is your chance to buy all new ones and redesign the feel of the bathroom to your specifications. If they were mismatched before, you can pick linens and accessories that match one another and blend with the wall color you just painted. There’s no end to what type of accessories you can add to the bathroom. Just don’t clutter it too much.

3. Green the light fixtures
Many light fixtures in older bathrooms are incandescent and give off too dull of a glow, which fails to show off the natural beauty in the bathroom created by the wall color and accessories. Changing the lighting means you can replace the light fixtures completely or update them with LED lights, which are more energy efficient, last longer than incandescent bulbs, and glow brighter.

There are various types of lighting options available, like recessed lighting, target lighting, and accent lighting, all of which can have LED lighting. You can also opt to install lighting on a vanity. If you opt to replace the lighting fixtures, you should call an electrician to do the rewiring and installation.

4. Install shelving, not cabinets
Storage in a bathroom for medicine, linens, and other items is paramount, but finding space for it can be difficult. It’s even harder to install cabinetry in bathrooms because of their size, not to mention their cost. However, homeowners also have the option to install shelving in bathrooms. Shelving is far less expensive and takes up less space on the walls while still providing ample storage space. There are various materials homeowners can construct shelving from including types of wood and metal, and installing it can be a DIY project, though homeowners may want to consult a pro to avoid a lot of holes in their bathroom walls.

5. Refinish the bathtub
Does your bathtub look worn out and maybe a little discolored in areas? Rather than replacing it, one option available is to have the bathtub professionally refinished. While bathtub refinishing runs at least $300 and can be as expensive as $1,000, it is less expensive than replacing the entire tub and getting a plumber to install a new one. It’s also an opportunity for homeowners to color the bathtub so it matches the rest of the bathroom. Homeowners should not have the bathtub refinished if it’s cracked and leaking though.